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Explore the dynamics of people and organizations.

The PhD Program in Organizational Behaviour and Human Resources (OBHR) is designed for research-oriented academics who want to study issues related to people and organizations. In the program, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of the effects of management practices on people, between people within organizational settings, and between organizations themselves. (Note that the program is not intended for the development of consultants or managers.)

Career

The program will prepare you for a career in research and teaching in business schools at leading research universities around the world.

"UBC developed me into a critical and sophisticated researcher: My department and supervisor challenged me to ask important questions and gave me the tools to seek their answers. The training and support I received throughout my PhD program prepared me to find and flourish in my dream job."

Faculty

Our OBHR Division professors are internationally recognized scholars who represent an array of academic disciplines, from sociology to organizational behaviour and human resource management. They have won awards for their research and for their innovations in teaching and pedagogy. Plus, they have earned some of the highest faculty ratings at UBC Sauder.

The following faculty (listed with their active research projects) are currently seeking new PhD students for September 2019:

Jennifer Berdahl

Collective silence around sexual harassment and the #metoo movement

Intersectional experiences of mistreatment, power, and voice

Toxic masculinity and organizational culture

David Clough

Interorganizational networks

Technological change

Entrepreneurial resource mobilization

Michael Daniels

Shame and shaming behaviour

Humility

Emotional labour

Sandra Robinson

Dysfunctional behaviour: Do "bad actors" in organizations hurt or help themselves?

Territoriality: What can we learn from theories of territoriality to reduce racism?

Ostracism: Are there different forms that have different effects on employees?

Sima Sajjadiani

Employee Selection

Employee Turnover

Incentives Design

Machine Learning Applications in HRM

Marc-David Seidel

Distributed trust technologies such as blockchain

Innovation

Emergence of innovation ecosystems

Danielle van Jaarsveld

Customer mistreatment/customer incivility: how do employees cope with and react to mistreatment and incivility from customers?

Strategic human resource practices: how do the choices organizations make in how they manage employees (e.g., hiring, training, compensation) affect organizational performance and innovation?

Compensation: to what extent do: a) types of incentives (e.g., collective or individual) and b) workforce characteristics influence the relationship between pay dispersion and organizational performance?

Lingtao Yu

Abusive supervision

Unethical behaviours

Emotions

Our OBHR Division is characterized by highly collaborative and collegial relationships that contribute to the learning culture of the PhD program. This means you can participate in a broad interdisciplinary, research-oriented program.

Admission

Admission to the OBHR PhD program is highly competitive. Students are admitted into the program with Master's or undergraduate degrees with first class standing. The majority of incoming students have academic backgrounds in business administration, social sciences and the humanities. Admission details can be found here.

Funding

All students admitted to the OBHR PhD program are provided funding for 5 years that includes a minimum of $30,000 per year plus payment of all tuition for the first 5 years. Funding details can be found here.

Location

UBC is situated in one of the best cities in the world in which to live. Metro Vancouver enjoys a multicultural population of 2.5 million, is a short drive to Whistler, and is surrounded by a beautiful landscape that inspires outdoor enjoyment.

Students in the OBHR program are typically required to take required and elective courses for two years. Students prepare a "Summer Research Paper" the summer after your first year. An example from a 2017 summer paper is here.

You are expected to engage actively in research with one or more faculty members from the outset of the program and to present some of that research in the OBHR Speaker Series during your second year of study. You are required to take a course on teaching methods for business and to teach at least one section of an undergraduate course, usually during your fourth or fifth year in the program.

"The PhD program is intellectually stimulating, challenging, and rewarding. I am fortunate to be part of such an amazing and supportive group. The courses and conversations are thought-provoking and engaging." Dennis Ma, current OBHR PhD Student

The final stage of the program is independent study in the form of a dissertation. The program is designed to be completed within five years, although more time may be required.